Currents
by Sunruner
Summary: Every now and again one wanted to be reminded of the familiar, of the close and understood. People always reach for what they know, even the adventurous ones... One-shot Aquashipping. Title changed!


**Title CHANGED to free it up for a new story of mine X3 Was originally called "Mercury".**

**Originally one of my favoured pairings in Golden Sun. I know there isn't any actual Canon for it, but they look good together. **

**Hehe, hope you enjoy it anyways.**

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_**Currents**_

It was amazing how much he was drawn to colour, how he took in and was affected by it. Coarse dark browns, flaring crimson, soft feathers of gold... Since leaving the island behind he'd been immersed in colours, found himself staring into the fiery or mischievous eyes of his companions, and always marveling at the variations between them all. Clothing could be styled and changed, but the colours of another human were beyond any mortal's control. It was thrilling to explore- to be surrounded by villages of people with skin like tanned brown leather, or black hair in perfectly straight and smooth lengths. The world was a vast and amazing place...

But every now and again one wanted to be reminded of the familiar, of the close and understood. People always reach for what they know, even the adventurous ones... Perhaps it was just the right mix then, an appearance he knew at first glance, and yet with the details that still left much to be explored.

Her hair was a shimmering cerulean blue, the colour of the warm waters lapping against the white beaches of his home. Her complexion was too fair to have been from the isle though, her clothing too thickly made and ornately corded together. There was no brassy shimmer in her eyes to remind him of Lemuria, only the shine of her hair and the crisp energy between her hands. Yes, she was familiar, but it was only as any human beauty- skin deep.

The first attempts at conversation had gone only somewhat less than terrible. She was not Lemurian, he didn't even have to ask. But the circumstances under which they met hadn't allowed for such important questions anyways. Two rival groups with opposing aims, there had been the matter of worlds and magics to consider before origins and the past.

His ship and the sea were home away from home to him. The currents were all so strange and constantly turning on him, the waters too rough for Felix to be able to stand it without beginning to fall ill. It kept them from conversing; he was needed on deck at the till and she was called away down below to tend to their more fiery companions. He caught her looking at him though, not often, but sometimes when she came out on deck for a bit of air, she looked.

She didn't have a sailor's gait, but kept her feet better than most of their company could manage with the same experience. He wasn't sure if she'd surprised herself or her original companions more when she'd shown herself to be more competent with lines and rigging than the rest of them. It was in her blood- water in any form, frozen or liquid or a part of the very air, she was comfortable and adaptable to it.

Their element influenced them, that much at least was clear. Their travels had taken them to a mountain of red stone and angry flame, and as much as they had both despised the idea of going into the depths of it, they'd gone. It was an unavoidable hurtle to overcome- a cannon was all well and good, but without ammunition it was as good as a spare anchor on deck.

They hated it. Every minute from the time the mountain came into view over the distance until they reached the swollen river and the ocean beyond, they hated it. He didn't think he'd ever been less pleasant to anyone in his adult life as he was to Garet at one point when a friendly slap on the back had almost ended with him taking a swipe at the larger Adept. She wasn't much better though, Sheba made sure not to go near her for a solid two days even after the goose-egg on her head was ply'd away and several apologies had been offered and accepted.

If they hadn't _**both**_ been so testy, it might've caused some problems. Really though, it just made them the laughing stock of the company for several weeks; everyone else had endured their elemental opposites with more grace than they had. Only the old sage was sympathetic; offering an explanation of Mercury being an element very prone to sudden, violent reactions.

They had more time to sit and discuss their situation during their forced exile however, so perhaps that was a plus. She had a sharp wit to her, but it was tastefully blended with a layer of serenity which wasn't false, and was refreshing to be around. He must have offered something appealing in exchange though, because even after they were allowed to show their faces without a snicker or comment- which was perhaps no more than a day or two in reality- they continued to exchange ideas and discuss various topics.

There had been no time for the past during the rushed events of Contigo, and the whirlwind of tasks and errands since then. Maybe it was the shadow of Mars Lighthouse looming ahead in the distance, but they found the time to delve into all those subjects. Not one of them knew what the North would hold for them; it was almost a '_now or never'_ situation.

She asked many, many questions about Lemuria, and he tried to answer as best he could. Why had there been no contact between the two branches of the Clan for so long? Why had they separated to begin with? What was the source of the draught? Was there any connection between it and the Hermes water which flowed from the Lighthouse? She let him sip from the small ration she kept about her person- was it the same? What was different?

Strangely enough, he had just as many questions for her. What had caused the Clan to dwindle in the North? What did she know about the Lighthouse? What was it like- the architecture? Could she sketch some of it for him? What did the beacon look like? He had a lot of questions like that, the beacon and the lighthouse itself- he'd never seen it… They'd sailed past Venus Lighthouse numerous times, and it was always bright enough to see even during the evening. So what was _their_ element's beacon like?

They spoke of the weather, traditions, common beliefs, any legends or stories the two branches might've shared. The differences were vast and varied, but the few similarities were strong and undeniable. The words used during certain rituals, methods of teaching psynergy, devotions to meditation and calm; yes, they were definitely of the same Clan…

"It's terrible, being alone…" Firelight played across the furniture and walls of the inn. Bubbled glass showing another endless bought of snow-fall burying the village. He knew how excited she had been to be amongst the snow and ice again, the form of water she was most familiar with.

"What do you mean?" It was late, the others either having retired to bed or at least their rooms. The only one he knew was still awake was Felix, but the other man had left some time ago, likely speaking with the Proxian leaders one last time before the dawn came. In the morning, they'd be headed for the Lighthouse to the north.

"Being in a strange land with strange people." She answered; one hand on the mantle over the fireplace as she turned to look at him. They were the only ones sitting out. "It's hard enough when you don't know the land, or you dress differently, but even when it's your home and yet you're still strange to them…" The saying went that opposites attract, but anyone who had ever watched beads of clear water along a pane of glass knew how wrong that could be within their element.

He rose slowly from the long couch, the inn quiet but for the crackling fire and the occasional spoken word between the two of them. The fire was nice, even for him, at this late hour with the storm blowing outside, and he stepped up next to her- feeling the warmth spill through the rough leggings he'd taken to wearing since they'd struck so far north.

"Imil isn't like the Kibombo, or the Shamans..." He said quietly, one hand likewise resting on the heavy mantel, and he watched the light swirl over her eyes, obscuring the crisp blue with swirls of red and gold.

"It is, just..." She tilted her head to the side a bit, but seemed unsure as to what she meant by the motion and looked at him instead. "...not for Alex and I. Our parent's weren't the last... but _we_ are..."

"Or, you _were_..."

He was attracted to the colour; to that balance of familiarity and novelty. She stepped up to him before her laid a hand on her, one arm coming to hook around the small of her back, holding her close with the heat to her back. She smelt of lavender, and her hair was silk between the fingers of his free hand, up on her toes to keep her lips gently against his. She was just the right size against him as her arms hooked up over his shoulders, tugging at the fall of his headdress, causing him to smile against her before leaning in against her more. She moved with him as he drew her from the hearth-side; one of her hands moving to rest against the side of his face, her cool fingers stroking against his skin. He could taste her ever-so-slightly, like the cool dew of dawn as his hand untangled itself from her hair, stroking the soft strands instead and cradling her close as she let out a sigh against him.

There was no haze of fire or crack of lightning, their lips coming apart for a moment before he kissed her again, bending down to her to let her stand on her feet once more. But she neither moved away from him, nor would he have let her; not for this moment at least. Her hands were flat against his shoulders and chest, placed to push him, but they only seemed to keep him close, her grip shy and yet noticeably there. He tilted her face up to him with one hand, tasting the dew and breathing in the lavender again, not searching for colour as a cool, refreshing mist felt to have curled gently around them both- as if they'd sunken into a pond of water just slightly cooler than the air around them.

They came apart slowly, like currents in a stream. His hand trailed a ribbon of her hair as her cool touch left his body, the wisp of her snow-white skirts shadowing the scuff of his boots along the wooden floors. The blue of her eyes was startlingly clear to him, the alabaster of her skin frosted with a gentle pink so like the windows and their frames of white.

But currents never flow in opposite directions, not anymore than they may break away on a whim. Her hand came up and his to match, their fingertips just barely touching as a sparkle of blue danced down both their arms. They were not static either, like charged lightning, or tense stones, but rather fluid like their nature.

His steps matched her's, not towards or away, but rather together. Slowly, one foot over the other, around and around like a gentle swirl of water. If there was intensity it was in the silence, and the soothing calm which washed over them like a spring shower. Her hand moved only once out of sync with his, forwards as if seeking another moment of contact, and he obliged them both, threading his fingers through hers loosely, and only briefly before their hands both fell away. Like parting currents, they were separate.

"Good night." It took her a moment to find her voice, her hands moving to the fall of her dress, pulling at the sides just so as she inclined her head. But the motion was not awkward even with their eyes locked for a moment more. It was fluid and graceful, familiar.

"Good night." His smile was almost not there as his head dipped down smoothly, eyes closing a moment before he straightened once more.

Mia waited for their eyes to meet again before moving, the corners of her mouth twitching in a calm, soothing expression before she turned. She glided fluidly and without another sound, vanishing along a path as sure as any stream or gully, gone for the night and until the morning would wake them for what lay ahead.

Piers did not sigh, his smile grew only by a hair's breadth. Mercury might have drawn them together, but even the most familiar currents could be fought.

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**Took me SO LONG to write! XD I don't know why, but I hope this was enjoyable, I certainly like it.**


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